"Further to some comments published in the press recently, production of the current Lancer Evolution continues as planned. As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package & architecture. Stay tuned."

The latest spiel confirms that a successor is planned, at least for now, though it strongly suggests that reports of a hybrid powertrain in the next-gen Evo may prove true. The words “regulations” and “market feedback” are what’s worrying now.

The original claim that the Evo may be dead was spurred by Mitsubishi’s own belief that electric vehicle technology and pushing in a different direction from the rally-bred performance of its past were key to remaining viable going into the future. The mixed message of high-efficiency and the Evo's high-performance would confuse consumers, explained Mitsubishi’s global product director, Gayu Eusegi, during a recent interview.

The only questioning is, would a hybrid sedan focused more on emissions than rallying prowess be worthy of wearing an Evo XI badge?